


Online friends to something more

by Salavora



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Drabble, First Kiss, First Meetings, Getting Together, Harley and Peter meet for the first time, M/M, Overuse of the word Darlin, Peter Parker is a Mess, Romance, Southern charm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 06:01:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20353555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salavora/pseuds/Salavora
Summary: Peter and Harley first become friends online, then meet in real life and finally fall in love.Turns out, Tony is the last to know.





	Online friends to something more

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MissCellophane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCellophane/gifts).

> MissCelophane asked in a story of hers (Field trip disaster - Chapter 3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18248873/chapters/43180757#workskin to be exact ) "do you think someone could write a fic where Harley and Peter met online and became friends/started dating but nobody knew and so when Tony introduces them later he’s all like 'What do you mean you know each other already? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE DATING!?' Or something?"
> 
> As it turns out, my head took that idea and ran with it, so here we are.
> 
> Also, as a programmer, I know off Stackoverflow (since I use a niche language, the site doesn't give me much, but heh). So I thought, there has to be something similar for engineers right? A quick google search gave me "https://engineering.stackexchange.com/" which is why I used it here. Sorry, if I misrepresented it, but I only invested about 2 min googling and about 5 min of clicking around on the site.
> 
> Edit:  
Corrected some spelling and wording mistakes and added a line or three to the end to make it flow better.
> 
> Edit the second:  
Removed a bunch of commata... or is it commas?

To say Peter was nervous would be an understatement.  
He waited anxiously at an empty table in the corner of a small cafe in New York, head snapping to the door every time he heard the little bell when someone entered, followed by looking down dejected when it wasn't the boy he was waiting for.  
The boy who still had 15min to arrive on time, since Peter came early... Like 45min early... he just wanted to make sure, he wouldn't be late, ok?  
A year ago today he and said boy met online for the first time.  
Also "meet" might be a bit strong of a word.

Peter had had an account on engineering.stackexchange.com for ages.  
He loved helping out people with their engineering problems, giving tips and advice and all without actually having to talk to anyone face to face!  
Not that Peter doesn't like people, some of his best friends are people! (Ok, yeah, he admits that this joke is old and bad and needs to die)... it's just... he does not like to argue and being looked down upon just because he is about half the age of the person he is arguing with.  
Online, no one knows his name, his age, his gender, anything. He was just IronFan1 ("One" for short... funnily enough) and that was it.  
It was perfect! (he was deeply in an Iron Man fanboy phase when he made that account, ok? And don't listen to those people who say he never got out of that phase!)  
Then, a year ago, a new user - Just_name - replied to one of his answers with a deep dissection on how damn stupid and short-sighted the answer was. Worst yet, they did make some valid points! (Peter never answered StackExchange questions at 4 am after little to no sleep during the last 48h, ever again)  
The two got to "talking" below the question (read: they commented on the others comment) until a Moderator politely asked them to stop cluttering up the answers and use a chat program already.  
Which they did.

From then on the two always had an IRC Window open, connected to a chat with the other.  
They ranted about stupid Stack Users who were too dumb to use the search functions or read the simple "how to post" guidelines.  
They exchanged ideas about engineering principles and how they could be extended (or broken at one memorable occasion).  
Peter even asked once or twice for the Just_names' (or J for short) opinion, when he was stuck on a problem and didn't want to bother Tony with it.  
When they ran out of engineering topics they wanted to discuss they talked about hobbies, books, music, everything. Also to be fair, it always would come back to engineering one way or the other. Then again, jumping from a debate about which Avenger would be sorted into which Hogwarts House to a discussion on how to best create a system that could mimic the ever-moving stairs in the same series had been a surprise even for them.  
It got to the point, that Peter felt like something was missing when his chat buddy went offline for more than a day.  
He would have been happy if this simply continued forever but of course, nothing good could ever last for a Parker.

They each knew where the other lived in a general sense (of course not the full address and sure as hell not their real names, they were talking on the internet after all!).  
So when his friend mentioned that they and their mom would drive over to New York for a week at the end of the month and joked about maybe running into each other on the street, Peter should have felt alarmed.  
Instead, he snarked back saying that they would most likely walk right past each other since neither knew what the other looked like.  
His friend's reply was a Skype Username.  
Peter's first reaction is panic. They never talked about age or sex of the other and what if J is like 40 and thought, he would be around that age as well and would stop taking him seriously once they discover the truth? Or what if they expect a beautiful girl in her 20s and they would get... well ... him... and then stop talking to him altogether? He couldn't even make up his mind about which scenario would be worse.  
It takes him nearly half an hour to reply and he would have taken even longer if the other hadn't started to backtrack and apologize and that they were sorry if they crossed any boundaries or if they were moving to fast and ... well, Peter doesn't want for J to feel bad so he tells them that he just needed to clean up first since his room was a mess and he didn't want to show that on camera and sorry that he didn't reply right away and... it was awkward, to say the least.  
About 15min after that (Peter did need some more time for a second freak out along the same lines as the previous one) he sees the others face for the first time and he recognizes right away that he is in trouble. Not the "they are a ton older and will ignore me from now on" trouble either since he sees a boy his age on the screen.  
No, the hitherto unnoticed trouble of "OMG he looks too perfect for this world!"  
The boy looks like the mischievous god of engineering. Friendly and open eyes, a confident smirk on his lips, hair and overall appearance a bit disheveled, a large smear of motor oil on his cheek. Peter himself must be looking like an absolute mess. Hair sticking out at all angles, his favourite old (read: threadbare) pun shirt (heh, it was Sunday, why should he have washed and put on something good? He had planned on relaxing and chatting to J all day! He had been looking forward to it!)  
When his friend opens his mouth to greet him Peter knows that he isn't just in trouble. He is completely and utterly doomed. He will never forget the "Hey, darlin' took ya long enough." drawled in this heavenly southern accent. Peter wasn't falling for his internet friend at that point, he was way PAST falling, he was pretty much crashing already.

The only thing Peter can remember after that is that he must have rivalled a tomato - a stuttering tomato - and that they did manage to talk for about an hour until the other had to go eat lunch with his family. What did they talk about? No idea. Nothing. Nada. Niente. He drew an absolute blank. Could have been anything, from the weather to his secret identity as spiderman. Peter simply couldn't get his brain to tell him.  
They continued via chat after that disaster but did agree to meet.  
So Peter found himself in this here café, nervously waiting for the boy he couldn't stop thinking about for the last two weeks.

"Hey there Darlin, is this seat taken?"  
Peter snaps his head up to the speaker and once more blushes crimson. There stands J, smirking down at him, dressed in washed-out jeans and a nice t-shirt .  
Peter just stares wide-eyed and tries to form words but all his brain can provide is the thought that he must have somehow missed the ring of the bell on the door.  
The boy's smirk grows softer and starts to resemble more of an indulgent smile. "One, None of that Darlin. I know you have a nice voice in there somewhere you can let it out I won't bite... unless you ask me to" For the last bit the smirk was firmly back in place.  
The sheer shock (and yes, mental imagery) do snap Peter out of his paralysis enough to gesture at the empty seat on the opposite side of the table.

The boy sat down and somehow they did start talking.  
Peter managed to remember a lot more this time around, but still.  
He will never be able to recall everything.  
Turned out that Harley's mother was job hunting and got a great offer from a company right here in the big apple. Good salary, housing provided by the company, healthcare, childcare and so on. She managed to be among the last few candidates for the job and had to attend an assessment centre at the company for a few days. His little sister was staying back home with an aunt he disliked - apparently, the feeling was mutual - and he wanted to meet his chat partner anyway so he came with.  
The boys agreed to meet again tomorrow in front of the movie theatre.  
Peter walked home on cloud nine, he just couldn't banish the stupid grin from his face.  
When he got back to the apartment May was waiting and he gushed about the other boy until she had to leave for her shift. So Peter continued to gush to Ned until he fell asleep. (and yes Ned you were right Peter shouldn't have fretted so much about the meeting and it did turn out all right.. but still... it is Peter we are talking about here)

The movie was great, not that Peter remembered what it was about.  
But somewhere in the middle the other boy did the cliche "pretend to yawn, stretch and rest an arm around the shoulders of the one you are here with". Peter did tense at first, not daring to take his gaze off the screen, then he took a deep breath and tried to relax. He felt the other squeeze his shoulder slightly and wasn't able to wipe the smile off his face ever since.  
From then on Peter was plagued by the cruel spectre of hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe J would not just see him as an internet friend but something more. He tried to go through all the previous conversations (or as much as he could remember) and tried to see if maybe there was something there to indicate how J felt but... he just couldn't be sure. It was all so... ambiguous? Yes, there was a lot of flirting but it felt as if flirting came as natural to him as breathing. So, did it mean anything? Or was Peter just imagining things? With troubled thoughts of "does he, or does he not" Peter finally fell asleep.

The day after that they did the whole tourist gig. Peter showed him the Rockefeller centre, the ball, they wandered along Broadway searching for the stars of certain celebrities.  
Sometime during it all, while they were at a busy intersection waiting for the light to turn green, J took Peter's hand "So I won't lose ya in this mass of people, Darlin".  
They kept holding hands for the rest of their time together.  
At night, The Debate (TM) continued in Peter's head. DID the handholding mean something? Or was Peter just reading to much into it? Why the hell was falling in love so incredibly frustrating!? All the books said that it was great and fun and butterflies and all that (and yes, he did feel great, had fun and there were way too many butterflies in his stomach) But why did they all neglect the ton of doubt and speculation and ... shear FRUSTRATION! Argh! 

On their fourth day they went to Coney island.  
When the boy took Peter's hand this time Peter just smiled up at him from below his lashes and squeezed slightly to indicate that he was ok with holding hands.  
After a ton of fun and roller coasters and greasy, overpriced food they were about to leave when J saw a stand where you had to shoot an air gun to win prizes.  
Among those prices was a small IronMan plushie.  
He dragged Peter over and after spending way too much money on fresh shots he won the stuffed figure.  
Afterwards, they wandered down to the mostly deserted beach (it was rather late, to be honest). Once there, J suddenly stopped and used their interlinked hands to drag Peter in front of him. This was the very first time Peter ever saw his friend nervous. The boy released his hands to grip the plushie with both, nearly like a soft shield.

"Darlin?" It sounds more like a question. "I... had a wonderful time during the last few days. I hope, you did too?" Peter nods a bit unsure, trying to hold back the hope he is feeling deep in his chest. Maybee his chat friend didn't just flirt with him because he likes to flirt, maybe he did ... like like him, too? Maybe all this handholding meant something to him as well?  
"The thing is, I enjoyed it very much and ... I think.. " the boy seems to grasp for the right words but can't find them. He lets out an exasperated huff "Screw this. Look, I think I ..fellinlovewithyou, pleaseacceptthisplushieasatokenofmyappreciation." the last part is spoken more towards Peter's shoes then to his face and as a jumbled together mess while holding the plushie more or less in Peter's direction. Peter is quick in figuring it out though and starts to grin broadly. It DID mean something to him, too! YES!  
Still looking to the ground his friend continues a bit hastily starting to draw his hands with the plushie back "Uhm... if you don't... feel that way, that is. I understand. Or, if I pushed too soon... again... I..." He is stopped, when he feels resistance in the plushie, followed by one of Peter's hand under his chin forcing his head back up again. The other takes in Peter's jaw splitting grin, the joy shining in his eyes and J's look of dejection turns into one of raw hope. After a second or two Peter manages to get his vocal cords to work again "I.. think... I love you, too". He pulls a bit on the toy "And I would love to accept the plushie, too"  
J lets out a loud whop, lets go of the plushie and nearly crushes Peter in a bear hug. Then he grabs his face with both hands and plants a kiss right on his lips. For Peter, it's like the fourth of July Fireworks, only better.  
He gets home way past his curfew, clutching the IronMan plushie like it is the most important thing in his life. May can only give him a half-hearted scolding though, too happy for her nephew.

The next day was a tower day.  
Peter arrived at around 6 am, wanting to get an early start on his projects and responsibilities so he could get off in time to meet his BOYFRIEND! at the little cafe again.  
On their first completely official date.  
Sure, this saw to it that he only got about 2h of sleep but love was more important than rest!  
Peter's workstation was at the back of the intern floor a bit tucked away in a corner so he would have to deal with the least amount of people possible.  
He liked to help his fellow interns of course but he hated it when someone walked past him, it always broke his concentration.  
Right now he was working on a new web formula - he wanted to create something that would be corrosive to concrete but not to flesh, so he could get through a wall if he had to, without injuring people - when he heard Mr Stark enter with two other people. They are still quite a way off but super hearing can have its benefits.  
"And this is the intern floor. When Harley helps me directly he would of course work in my lab but he will also be allowed to pursue his own interests and for that, he will have a workstation down here. Ah Miss Clarence, is Peter in already?"  
"He sure is Mr Stark. Came in at around 6 so he can leave early for his date tonight" The supervisor answers with clear fondness in her voice.  
"Date, huh? So it DID get serious between the two. Good for him." Peter can practically taste Tony's shit-eating grin. Wait! How did Mr Stark even know?! Better file that under "things I need to discuss with Mr Stark"  
A woman, one of the two people who came with his mentor, can be heard next "Uhm, Mr Stark. Just to be clear. I did not get the job because of the fact that my son helped you out that one time, right?"  
Tony stops and replies in an earnest voice "Mrs Keener, let me be honest here. If I had known you had applied, I would have pulled every string in existence to get you and by extension him. Would have even invented new strings just so that I could pull them. However, Pepper knows this and sneakily kept me completely in the dark. Changed your name in the system and everything. She takes the fight against nepotism seriously and would have my hide if I went against her, she IS the CEO after all. So, would I have done it anyway? In your case, yes. Did I do it? No. You got the position purely on your own merits I can assure you of that."  
They continue walking towards his workstation.  
The name Kenner does ring a distant bell for Peter. Wasn't that the family name of the boy that helped Tony repair his suit during the whole mandarin debacle? A Heley, or Holly or something? Tony did want to introduce the boys one day and to make him the same offer he made Peter but he didn't mention that they would meet THIS day. Oh well... Peter was used to Tony's antics by now. The men loved to surprise others WAY too much. (Especially, since he hated to be surprised himself. Which is why Peter LOVED doing it whenever he could, which wasn't that often, to tell the truth)  
"I.. thank you, Mr Stark. This is... very reassuring to know." If Mrs Keener's voice catches a bit in her throat, it can easily be ignored.  
Tony and Mrs Keener walk around the last corner that keeps Peter hidden from the visitors, Harley lacks behind a bit most likely marvelling at all the cool toys on display in the lab "And here we have my OTHER personal intern. Hey Pete, come here for a second, would you?"  
Tony winks the boy over. Next to him stands a woman about Tony's age, dressed in a smart pantsuit. Peter jogs over with a polite smile and shakes her hand.  
"Hello Mam, my name is Peter Parker, a pleasure to meet you"  
"Why, thank you, Mr Parker. I am Marleen Keener, nice to meet you, too."  
"Just Peter is fine Mrs Keener"  
"Remember when I told you about the boy who helped me during the whole Mandarin sh.. uhm.. stuff?" Tony corrects himself after nearly everyone in hearing range gives him a look. They all know that Pepper wants him to swear less so their three-year-old daughter won't overhear anything she shouldn't repeat in Kindergarten.  
At Peters nod, he continues. "Well, his name is Harley Keener and he will start as my second personal intern when his mother starts working for us. I want for the two of you to collaborate on Tony-Projects and for you to show him around a bit and make sure he feels welcome. Think you are up for it, kid?"  
"Sure, Mr Stark, not a..." It's at this point that Harley finally ambles around the last bend and into Peter's view, eyes flitting from workstation to workstation completely ignoring the three people.  
"What the..." Peter stammers out while both Tony and Mrs Keener look at him questioningly. To the best of their knowledge, the boys have never met before. Why is Peter looking at Harley as if he has seen a ghost?  
"J?" Peter asks the boy, still clearly stunned  
At that Harley finally focuses on the little group and freezes as well. "One?"  
"Peter, this is Harley, not J. Harley, this is Peter, not One. Now, what is going on here?" Tony looks between the boys a bit concerned. He always hoped that they would get along but was too scared that they might develop an immediate hatred for each other, so he put introducing them off as long as he could.  
Harley's mother is the first to connect the dots "Wait, Peter is your chat friend turned boyfriend?"  
That unfreezes both boys. They rush into each other's arms and start to kiss.  
"The hell?!" Tony looks at the boys completely poleaxed.  
Harley stops the kiss and smirks at Tony over Peter's shoulder.  
"Heh old man. You didn't have to introduce us since we have known each other for more than a year, just with different names. And since we are dating since yesterday you aren't allowed to interrupt either." with this he bends back down to a smirking Peter continuing their interrupted kiss.  
"What do you mean, you know each other? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU ARE DATING!?"

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
I hope you liked it ^^"
> 
> If you still have a minute or five, could you maybe tell me what you liked the least and what you liked the most? (if there were any bits you liked least/most that is ^^")  
Also: Were you always able to tell, whom I meant with "the other one" or "him" and so on?  
And did you catch the tense changes? (and as a bonus question: did the changes in tense make sense to you?)
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


End file.
